9 PM Traffic Jam: 116 Cars at 'Salmokji'

The movie "Salmokji" is a box office hit, taking the number one spot during its opening weekend. In conjunction with its success, Salmokji, the actual location that serves as the movie's setting and the birthplace of a famous urban legend, is gaining attention as a tourist destination. According to the Korean Film Council's integrated network, "Salmokji" has surpassed its break-even point of 800,000 viewers, with a cumulative audience of 813,256 as of the previous day. This is the fastest pace for a film released in 2026, and it has held the number one spot at the box office for six consecutive days since its release.

"Salmokji" is a horror film that tells the story of a film crew who, while heading to a reservoir to reshoot an unidentified figure captured in a street view, encounter something in the water. The location, Salmokji, gained notoriety through a legendary urban tale featured on MBC's "Midnight Horror Story" and is known as a treacherous place with real-life accounts of strange experiences. Since the movie's release, there has been an increase in visitors to the actual Salmokji.

As of 9 PM on the 13th, a search for Salmokji on the navigation app Tmap revealed that 116 vehicles were heading to the location. Furthermore, live streams from netizens show dozens of cars continuing to travel to Salmokji even in the early morning hours.

This phenomenon is similar to the past case where tourists flocked to Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol after the movie "King and the Clown" was released, eager to experience raft rides. With cars lining up at Salmokji every dawn, a humorous saying has emerged: "Even ghosts have to queue." Netizens are enjoying this trend with witty comments such as "Ghosts will have to do an open run too," "Sallidan-gil" (a play on "Sinsa-dong Garosu-gil," a trendy street), "Physical Exorcism," and "Madness conquered the Yin energy."

With its rapid ascent past the break-even point and steady box office performance, all eyes are on whether the movie "Salmokji" will surpass the 1 million viewer mark, fueled by the Salmokji tourism craze.